Assessing the Evaluation of Library Instruction Using a Business Model

The business sector has traditionally evaluated their training and instruction programs on a model that considers 4 levels of success (Kirkpatrick). These levels can be described as success based on 1) appeal, 2) learning outcomes 3) integration of learning into daily work routines, or 4) overall impact on / improvement of the organization. This paper describes how this rubric can be generally, and ideally, translated and applied to instruction programs in libraries to determine what levels of evaluation are attempted by libraries. And, based on a review and analysis of case studies of the literature of library instruction, considers questions including: how frequently do libraries base their evaluation of instruction on student self-reports of the appeal of the instruction and / or how much the student felt they learned (level 1)? How frequently, and by what means, do libraries attempt to measure student learning outcomes (level 2) in order to evaluate the instruction? And, in any sense, are the other two levels of evaluation in the rubric used? The results from academic libraries\u27 evaluation of instruction will also be compared with how businesses evaluate their instruction/training for the four levels

Classroom Performance Systems, Library Instruction and Instructional Design: A Pilot Study

To explore how effective CPS (Classroom Performance Systems) are in the classroom, specifically for library instruction, this pilot study considered the question: Does the use of CPS improve student retention of information presented in class as measured by pre-and posttest scores? The use of pretest and posttest measurements for the retention of information attempted to assess the impact of instruction using CPS for a single session and the usefulness of CPS for the delivery of instruction, generally. The data collected included the results of a five-item pretest and a six-item posttest, completed by 48 freshmen college students. Although scores improved for both groups after instruction, scores for the group using CPS with instruction showed somewhat greater improvement than the non-CPS group. The author also discusses the role of instructional design in the development of the study and other considerations for future studies

Bibliometric Services in Research Evaluation: A New Task Area Strengthening the Jurisdiction of Academic Librarians

Science policy framed by audit culture relies heavily on performance measurement. This changing research environment affects higher education institutions and their scientific libraries. As service providers for research and teaching libraries need to demonstrate their added-value in front of various stakeholders. Some Library and Information Science (LIS) scholars and practitioners thus promote evaluative bibliometric services as a new service area. The question rises whether this trend to engage in evaluative bibliometrics will consolidate into a recognized professional task area in academic librarianship. Using Abbott’s theoretical framework the paper asks whether academic librarians claim a professional jurisdiction on bibliometric expertise in research support services and assessment. The bibliometric practices of academic librarians in the UK and Germany are studied in a comparative perspective. The collected empirical data consists of 28 expert interviews and different types of documents. This research in progress paper reports on the theoretical framework and demonstrates how it helps to interpret and understand current developments

Health technology assessment of treatment for peripheral arterial disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a widespread cardiovascular disease that causes pain and reduces the patient’s ability to walk. The first objective of the thesis was to investigate current treatment patterns for PAD by identifying groups of PAD patients with different treatment needs according to their cardiovascular risk and their probability of undergoing invasive PAD treatment. As a result, three groups were identified. The second objective was to measure the quality of life of patients with PAD who receive different kinds of treatment, which showed a positive effect of all treatments, and to measure the costs of these treatments. Data from 245 Dutch PAD patients were used for these analyses. The final objective was to assess the cost-effectiveness of a new treatment strategy for PAD, rivaroxaban plus aspirin, by comparing the costs and health effects of the new treatment to those of existing treatments, treatment with aspirin or clopidogrel. The results of this analysis showed treatment with rivaroxaban plus aspirin was cost-effective overall but highlighted differences between patient groups

Downwash measurements behind wings with detached float

This investigation, which was made in the small wind tunnel having a diameter of 1.2 m (3.94 feet), embraced three wing models, behind which, at various angles of attack between 0 and 60 degrees, the static pressure and the total pressure along vertical lines (perpendicular to the direction of the undisturbed wind and to the wing span) were measured. The location of these vertical lines are indicated in Figure 1. Moreover, the wing polars were determined by the customary three-component measurements. For testing the pressure field, a Pitot tube and a static probe, both of 2 mm (0.08 in.) in diameter, were mounted 40 mm (1.57 in.) apart on the end of a shaft 1 m (39.37 in.) long

Contribution to the aileron theory

In an attempt to treat theoretically the effect of ailerons, difficulty arises because an aileron may begin at any point of the wing. Hence the question arises as to how the transition of the lift distribution proceeds at such a point, since the effect of the aileron (i.e., the moment generated about the longitudinal axis) depends largely on this distribution. In order to answer this question regarding the lift distribution during irregular variations in the angle of attack at first independently of other influences, especially those of the wing tips, we have taken as the basis of the following theoretical discussion a wing of infinite span and constant chord which exhibits at one point an irregular variation in the angle of attack. As regards the mathematical treatment, we will first consider a wing with periodically recurring angle of attack

Knowledge representation and diagnostic inference using Bayesian networks in the medical discourse

For the diagnostic inference under uncertainty Bayesian networks are investigated. The method is based on an adequate uniform representation of the necessary knowledge. This includes both generic and experience-based specific knowledge, which is stored in a knowledge base. For knowledge processing, a combination of the problem-solving methods of concept-based and case-based reasoning is used. Concept-based reasoning is used for the diagnosis, therapy and medication recommendation and evaluation of generic knowledge. Exceptions in the form of specific patient cases are processed by case-based reasoning. In addition, the use of Bayesian networks allows to deal with uncertainty, fuzziness and incompleteness. Thus, the valid general concepts can be issued according to their probability. To this end, various inference mechanisms are introduced and subsequently evaluated within the context of a developed prototype. Tests are employed to assess the classification of diagnoses by the network